System and method for constructing and displaying active virtual reality cyber malls, show rooms, galleries, stores, museums, and objects within

ABSTRACT

A system and method for virtually displaying on-line a gallery, a showroom, a store, a mall or any other room or space and the objects contained in said room or space, wherein the data displayed is comprised of a virtual reality data packet. The system displays still photographs of virtual reality shots and textual materials, and plays virtual reality video clips and audio stores about the room and/or the objects contained therein. Links are associated with each object and are stored external to the virtual reality data packet can be retrieved on demand from an external database for presentation of the viewer. The system also provides on-line controls that enable the viewer to move around the space, and a feature that enables a viewer to view an object from 360° around the object.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Non-Provisional U.S. patent application is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 13/853,788, filed on Mar. 29, 2013, which isa continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/037,356, filed onFeb. 28, 2011; which is a continuation application of U.S. Pat. No.7,899,719, filed on Jul. 21, 2009; which is a continuation applicationof U.S. Pat. No. 7,574,381, filed Aug. 2, 2000; which claims priority toU.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/147,716, filed Aug. 6, 1999.The disclosures of all the foregoing patent documents are incorporatedherein by reference as if fully set forth herein, including Figures,Claims, and Tables.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the brick-and-mortar world, showrooms, galleries, and stores are usedto display furnishing, interior accessories, fashion, art, antiques, orother objects. Shopping centers, malls, and main streets are constructedto aggregate a large number of stores. The on-line equivalent of suchcommerce components are constructed with database containing informationfor such objects or stores sorted with nesting categories. The objectsin conventional cyber stores, galleries, and show rooms are representedon the client/user computer screens as index lists of textual orthumbnail entries. The stores in a conventional cybermall arerepresented by a collection of “banner” entries (see FIGS. 1A1, 1A2, 1B,1C1, 1C2, 1C3, 1D1, 1E1, 1E2, 1E3, 1E4, 1E5, 1F). Thumbnails are smallgraphical representation of an object, serving as an index and a link todetailed information regarding the object. Banner is a small graphicalbox-like icon with the logo and name of a business entity on the WebClicking on a thumbnail usually brings an enlarged photograph and/ordescriptions of the object from the server database to the client/user'scomputer screen. Clicking on a “banner” brings the user to the home pageof the business entity the banner represents.

A typical on-line gallery or store, for example, would show categorytitles of the gallery collections or store items, with some textualentries or graphical thumbnails of selected “featured” exhibits oritems. When a particular “last stop” category on a particularcategorical path is clicked, the items or objects sorted under thecategory are presented in an index list of textual one-line or thumbnailentries. The index could be very long, and partitioned into many webpages (each may be several print pages long), accessible on-webpage-at-a-time. Clicking on a textual or thumbnail entry or bringsdetailed textual description and an enlarged version of the thumbnail,if available, again only one-at-a-time (see FIGS. 1A1 and 1A2).

Virtual Reality software, such as Apple Computing Quick Time, orMacromedia Flash, on the other hand, has been developed to showscrolling panoramic views of a room or a scene, or to rotate athree-dimensional object to show its 360-degree views. The VirtualReality source data is typically prepared by shooting multiple stillphotographs of a room, a scene, or an object from sequentially varyingangles, and re-compose the still photographs in the correct spatial-timesequence to form a contiguous panoramic view. Video filming can also beused. Viewing the Virtual Reality image at the viewer's computer screenis controlled by the “mouse,” a computer input device (see FIGS. 2A, 2B,and 2C) and the control buttons on the VR “viewing window” on thecomputer screen. The panoramic view of a scene is scrolled across theviewing window. The still shots from sequentially varying angles of a3-D object is “flashed” onto the VR viewing window, producing anillusion of the object rotating in the window, given a large enoughnumber of still shots, and fast enough speed of spatial-timere-composition or “flashing.”

Virtual Reality has not been used in actionable on-line or electroniccommerce environment, except for viewing purposes only, such asdisplaying a property or a house on-line on Real-Estate listing sites asin FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C; or, rotating a 3-D object, such as a car on carsites; or, for other purely entertainment purposes, such as displayingthe content of a museum. In all cases, the Virtual Reality graphicaldata packet is treated as a single data entity with a single “packetaddress,” accessed by clicking a VR or 3D button, and viewed bycontrolling the temporal scanning or rotation using the control buttonson the computer screen in conjunction with the button on the inputdevice, the mouse. From within the Virtual Reality data packet, there isno link to the external world outside the data packet. Therefore, thereis no practical application other than its visual and entertainmentvalue. One cannot do anything with the Virtual Reality presentation ofthe known-art, other than looking at it and enjoying it.

The present invention relates to methods and apparatus to construct anddisplay electronic/cyber/on-line showrooms, galleries, stores and mallsto emulate the physical brick and mortar world, in additional to theconventional category and index listing e-commerce construct of the Web.Virtual Reality (VR) shots and/or Video films are made to visuallypresent a show room, gallery, store, or object with more resemblance tothe physical world we live. Each still picture of the VR shots or eachframe of the video film is given a unique frame address. Eachsignificant and unique object in the VR data packet is given a uniqueidentification, indexed and addressed by the area the object occupies ina picture or a frame. Links are associated with each such object, suchthat detailed information (such as graphical, video, audio, or textualdescriptions) related to the objects stored external to the VR datepacket, can be retrieved from the database on demand, when the objectsin the VR images are “selected”/“clicked.”

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A1 illustrates prior art on-line malls, stores, galleries, andshowrooms.

FIG. 1A2 illustrates a prior art AOL Mall having a collection ofdepartment stores represented by banners. Other types of stores aresorted under categories, and accessed through the category listing atthe bottom of the page.

FIG. 1B illustrates a prior art AOL Apparel Store's listing.

FIGS. 1C2, 1C2 and 1C3 illustrate a prior art dELiAs.Com store listedunder the AOL Apparel Stores.

FIGS. 1D1 and 1D2 illustrate prior art Artnet.Com Galleries.

FIG. 1E1 illustrates a prior art Ebay home page.

FIGS. 1E2 through 1E4 illustrate prior art Ebay Galleries.

FIG. 1E5 illustrates a prior art first print page of the first web-pageof a 36 web-page Ebay Furniture listing

FIG. 1F illustrates a prior art Design Toscano Cyber Show Room.

FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C illustrate prior art Virtual Reality: Virtualtouring of a home displayed on the www.bamboo.com web site. There is noother function beyond the visual tour: scrolling the panoramic image tothe left, to the right, and look at it.

FIG. 3A illustrates a central scene and the primary object of a VirtualReality presentation of a museum hall with small buttons at the lowerleft corner to scroll the panoramic scene of the Hall to the left,right, up, down and zoom-in and pan-out.

FIG. 3B illustrates nine Virtual Reality frames around the centralobject in the hall, scanning from the left of the object through theobject, to the right of the object, each assigned its unique frameidentity in the present invention.

FIG. 3C illustrates a rectangular area closely surrounding the objectthat is cut, and marked out and identified separately from the rest ofthe picture/frame in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 3D illustrates an example of data stored in memory space externalto the Virtual Reality data packet, linked to the object image fromwithin the Virtual Reality data packet.

FIG. 3E illustrates the object with control buttons at the lower leftcorner resulting from activation of the “Virtual Reality” button in FIG.3D in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 3F illustrates 12 of the standard 36 frames shot form equallyspaced angles 360-degrees around the object in accordance with thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring again to prior art FIG. 2A, clicking on the “Exterior Front”selection on the menu at the left side, initiates the downloading of the“panoramic image of the exterior front view of the house from the serverdatabase, as noted under the “Bamboo.com/Virtual Tour” logo at thecenter of the page.

Referring again to prior art FIG. 2B, when the downloading of thepanoramic image is complete, the exterior scene of the home scrollsacross the “VR window” on the computer screen. The buttons on the lowerleft corner of the VR window are control buttons activated by thecomputer mouse. By moving the cursor to the “left” arrow, and pressingdown

Referring now to prior art FIG. 2C, clicking on the “Master Bedroom”selection on the menu at the left side of the page, causes the“panoramic” image of the master bedroom, to download from thesite-server to the client/user's computer screen. The scrolling andstopping functions are identical to those in FIG. 2B.

The present invention relates to methods and apparatus to construct anddisplay electronic/cyber/on-line showrooms, galleries, stores and mallsto emulate the physical showrooms, galleries, stores, and malls. VirtualReality (VR) shots with audio segments, and/or Video films are made tovisually, audibly, and contiguously present a show room, gallery, store,or object. Each still picture 32A of the VR shots or each frame 30 a, 30b, 30 c, 30 d, 30 e, 30 f, 30 g, 30 h, and 30 i of the video film isgiven a unique frame address within the VR packet address. Thus, eachpicture 32A or each frame 30 a, 30 b, 30 c, 30 d, 30 e, 30 f, 30 g, 30h, and 30 i is identifiable via the address of the packet and theaddress of the frame 30 a, 30 b, 30 c, 30 d, 30 e, 30 f, 30 g, 30 h, and30 i. Each significant and unique object 32 in the VR data packet, isgiven an unique identification, indexed by the area 50 the unique object32 occupies in the frames 30 a, 30 b, 30 c, 30 d, 30 e, 30 f, 30 g, 30h, and 30 i or pictures 32A containing the object. Links are assigned tothat unique object 32, which may appear in multiple frames, such thatdetailed information (such as graphical, VR, video, audio, or textualdescriptions) related to the object 32 addressed by the links, can beretrieved from the database external to the VR data packet, on demand,such as when the object 32 in the proximity frames is “clicked,” fromany of the proximity frames.

Clicking on a particular object 32 in a frame 30 a, 30 b, 30 c, 30 d, 30e, 30 f, 30 g, 30 h, and 30 i, or in any of the proximity frames 30 b,30 c, 30 d, 30 e, 30 f, 30 g, and 30 h in a VR presentation of a showroom, gallery, or store, would select the link/links associated with theparticular object 32 clicked, and store the links in a file on theclient/use computer. Multiple objects can be “clicked,”—i.e., selected,within a VR presentation. When the viewing and the selection process iscompleted, and the collection of “clicked” links is submitted to theserver, by clicking a “submit” button, all data, whether video, audio,VR, graphics, or textual, addressed by the links submitted are broughtfrom the server database to the client/user/user computer with referenceto each selected object.

FIG. 3A shows the central scene about a primary object 32, Venus of Miloof a Virtual Reality presentation of a museum hall. The small buttons 25at the lower left corner scrolls the panoramic scene of the Hall to theleft, right, up, down, and zoom-in and pan-out. A selected set of nineframes 30 a, 30 b, 30 c, 30 d, 30 e, 30 f, 30 g, 30 h, and 30 i aroundthe primary object 32 in this example, are shown in FIG. 3B. The limitof the conventional Virtual Reality of the known-art is here. There isno interaction or linking mechanism from inside the Virtual Realityimages, such as these frames, to data outside of the VR packet. In FIG.3B, there are nine Virtual Reality frames 30 a, 30 b, 30 c, 30 d, 30 d,30 f, 30 g, 30 h, and 30 i around the primary object 32 in the hall,scanning from the left of the object through the object, to the right ofthe object, each assigned its unique frame identity in the presentinvention.

In our implementation, each frame 30 a, 30 b, 30 c, 30 d, 30 e, 30 f, 30g, 30 h, and 30 i in the Virtual Reality data packet is given anidentification. A primary object 32 that appears in multiple proximityframes would be “cut out” from the rest of each frame, or the scene, andgiven a unique identification, and assigned a link, or a collection oflinks, to link to external data storage space that stores dataassociated with the object 32. The primary object 32 appearing onseveral proximity frames, such as from FIG. 3B—frame 30 b through frame30 h, would be identified as one object, and given the same set oflinks.

A rectangular area 50 closely surrounding the object 32 in all of theproximity frames is cut as shown in FIG. 3C, and marked out andseparated from the rest of the frame in order to be assigned a separateand unique identity to the object 32. This is done for frame 30 bthrough frame 30 h in FIG. 3B. The rectangular area 50 in all 7 frames30 b, 30 c, 30 d, 30 e, 30 f, 30 g, and 30 h are assigned the sameidentity representing the object 32, and the same links to the memoryspace external to the Virtual Reality Frames, containing the detailedinformation related to the object 32. Clicking within the rectangulararea 50 in all 7 frames 30 b, 30 c, 30 d, 30 e, 30 f, 30 g and 30 hresults in linking to the same set of data.

FIG. 3D shows frames, video, or VR can all be linked and called ondemand. In this example, the enlarged still image 32A in FIG. 3D isfurther linked to another virtual Reality data packet that presents theobject in 360-degree rotation.

Referring now to FIG. 3E, clicking the “Virtual Reality55 button 70 inFIG. 3D, brings the “rotating” Virtual Reality data packet of theobject, with the control buttons 25 at the lower left corner. FIG. 3Fshows the 12 of the standard 36 frames 80 a, 80 b, 80 c, 80 d, 80 e, 80f, 80 g, 80 h, 80 i, 80 j, 80 k and 801 shot from equally spaced angles,360-degrees around the object. When the number of shots and the speed ofsequentially “flashing in55 the still images into the viewing window arecompatible, human eyes perceive that the object rotates on the viewingwindow. A larger number of shots would permit a smoother and slowerrotation.

The invention enables practical and actionable commerce applications ofVirtual Reality and Video casting or screaming technologies on the web,for example, in displaying objects in show rooms, galleries, stores, orstores in malls, shopping centers, or on main streets in a “real life55,in addition to conventional categorization, search, and listingpresentations in the convention web stores and galleries. The currentinvention enables object images to be linked to additional textual,audio, graphical, video, or VR data stored in the database outside ofthe Virtual Reality or Video data packet. Clicking on the image of asofa in such an “active Virtual Reality55 show room of this inventionfor example, of an interior furnishing show room, would deposit thelinks associated with the image to a temporary file. When the entire VRor Video presentation is viewed, and the selection of multipleinterested objects shown in the VR presentation is completed, thecollection of links of the objects selected is submitted to the serverfrom the client/user computer, to retrieve data addressed by thesubmitted links, including but not limited to detailed audio or textualdescriptions, additional graphics or VR presentations, pricinginformation and ordering/or buying submission mechanism, sorted andpresented by each object at command.

The present invention is implemented using software which can be writtenin many programming languages, or implemented with many web-pagegeneration tools. The present invention can be used on a global or localcomputer network, on a personal computer, on viewable storage media suchas a CD ROM, on a wireless telephone, on a wireless personal assistantsuch as a Palm Pilot®, or on any type of wired or wireless device thatenables digitally stored information to be viewed on a display device.Also, information displayed and viewed using the present invention canbe printed, stored to other storage medium, and electronically mailed tothird parties.

Numerous modifications to and alternative embodiments of the presentinvention will be apparent to those skilled to the art in view of theforegoing description. Accordingly, this description is to be construedas illustrative only and is for the purpose of teaching those skilled inthe art the best mode of carrying out the invention. Details of thestructure may be varied substantially without departing from the spiritof the invention and the exclusive use of all modifications which comewithin the scope of the appended claims is reserved.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A computer implemented method, comprising:displaying a virtual reality scene corresponding to a physical scene atwhich art can be purchased, wherein the virtual reality scene exhibits aplurality of objects selectable by a user that correspond to digitalrepresentations of one or more pieces of art and is built from aplurality of images representing varied views of the physical scene andvaried views of the plurality of objects; linking the digitalrepresentation of the at least one object in the gallery to anactionable commerce application; enabling a user to navigate within thevirtual reality scene and observe the virtual reality scene from one ormore perspectives; receiving from a user a selection corresponding to atleast one of the plurality of objects within the virtual reality scene;and in response to receiving from the user the selection of the at leastone object, activating the link to an actionable commerce applicationcomprising a submission mechanism that allows the user to place an orderfor the selected object.
 2. The computer implemented method of claim 1,wherein each image has a unique image address.
 3. The computerimplemented method of claim 1, wherein upon receiving from the user aselection of a selectable object within the virtual reality scene,additional information regarding the selected object is displayed. 4.The computer implemented method of claim 3, wherein the additionalinformation includes information related to the creator of the selectedobject digitally represented in the virtual reality scene.
 5. Thecomputer implemented method of claim 4, wherein the additionalinformation includes the price of the selected object digitallyrepresented in the virtual reality scene.
 6. The computer implementedmethod of claim 5 wherein the additional information includes thepresent bid amount for the selected object digitally represented in thevirtual reality scene.
 7. The computer implemented method of claim 6wherein the additional information includes digital representations ofone or more objects created by the same creator of the selected object.8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the selectableobject is indexed by an area that the representation of the selectableobject occupies in the virtual reality scene.
 9. The computerimplemented method of claim 8, wherein the user selects the selectableobject by indicating the area that the selectable object occupies, usingan input device.
 10. The computer implemented method of claim 8, whereinthe user selects the selectable object by activating an input mechanismindicative of the area that the representation of the selectable objectoccupies.
 11. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein theselectable object corresponds to a digital representation of at leastone of a painting, sculpture, photograph, furniture, tapestry and rug.12. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one ormore programs configured for execution by one or more computerprocessors, wherein the one or more processors are communicativelycoupled to a display device configured to be controlled by the one ormore programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions thatcause the one or more processors to: display on the display device avirtual reality scene corresponding to a physical scene at which art canbe purchased, wherein the virtual reality scene exhibits a plurality ofobjects selectable by a user that correspond to digital representationsof one or more pieces of art and is built from a plurality of imagesrepresenting varied views of the physical scene and varied views of theplurality of objects; enable a user to navigate within the virtualreality scene and observe the virtual reality scene from one or moreperspectives; receive from the user a selection of a selectable objectwithin the virtual reality scene; in response to receiving from the userthe selection of the selectable object, activating a link to anactionable commerce application comprising a submission mechanism thatallows the user to place an order for the selected object.
 13. Themedium of claim 12, wherein each image has a unique image address. 14.The medium of claim 12, wherein upon receiving from the user a selectionof a selectable object within the virtual reality scene, additionalinformation regarding the object is displayed.
 15. The medium of claim14, wherein the additional information includes information related tothe creator of the selected object digitally represented in the virtualreality scene.
 16. The medium of claim 15, wherein the additionalinformation includes the price of the selected object digitallyrepresented in the virtual reality scene.
 17. The medium of claim 16,wherein the additional information includes the present bid amount forthe selected object digitally represented in the virtual reality scene.18. The medium of claim 17 wherein the additional information includesdigital representations of one or more objects created by the samecreator of the selected object.
 19. The medium of claim 12, wherein theselectable object is indexed by an area that the representation of theselectable object occupies in the virtual reality scene.
 20. The mediumof claim 19, wherein the user selects the selectable object byindicating the area that the selectable object occupies, using an inputdevice.
 21. The medium of claim 19, wherein the user selects theselectable object by activating an input mechanism indicative of thearea that the representation of the selectable object occupies.
 22. Themedium of claim 19, wherein the selectable object corresponds to adigital representation of at least one of a painting, sculpture,photograph, furniture, tapestry and rug.
 23. A computer implementedmethod, comprising: displaying a virtual reality scene substantiallycorresponded to a physical scene in which art is available for purchase,wherein the virtual reality scene displays a plurality of objectscomprising digital representations of one or more pieces of the art, theplurality of objects being selectable by a user and being built from aplurality of images representing varied views of the art in the physicalscene; linking the digital representations to an actionable commerceapplication; enabling the user to navigate within the virtual realityscene to observe the virtual reality scene from at least twoperspectives; enabling the user to rotate at least one of the pluralityof objects within the virtual reality scene about at least one axis;receiving from the user a selection corresponding to at least one of theplurality of objects within the virtual reality scene and, in responseto the selection, displaying additional information about the artdigitally represented by the selected one of the plurality of objects,wherein the additional information includes at least one of a link tobuy and a link to bid on the art digitally represented by the selectedone of the plurality of objects.
 24. The computer implemented method ofclaim 23, wherein each of the plurality of images has a unique imageaddress.
 25. The computer implemented method of claim 23, wherein theadditional information includes information related to the creator ofthe selected one of the plurality of objects digitally represented inthe virtual reality scene.
 26. The computer implemented method of claim25, wherein the additional information includes the price of theselected one of the plurality of objects digitally represented in thevirtual reality scene.
 27. The computer implemented method of claim 26,wherein the additional information includes the present bid amount forthe selected one of the plurality of objects digitally represented inthe virtual reality scene.
 28. The computer implemented method of claim27, wherein the additional information includes digital representationsof one or more objects created by the same creator of the selected oneof the plurality of objects.
 29. The computer implemented method ofclaim 23, wherein the selectable one of the plurality of objects isindexed by an area that the representation of the selectable one of theplurality of objects occupies in the virtual reality scene.
 30. Thecomputer implemented method of claim 23, wherein the user selects theselectable one of the plurality of objects by indicating the area thatthe selectable object occupies, using an input device.
 31. The computerimplemented method of claim 23, wherein the user selects the selectableone of the plurality of objects by activating an input mechanismindicative of the area that the representation of the selectable objectoccupies.
 32. The computer implemented method of claim 23, wherein theselectable one of the plurality of objects corresponds to a digitalrepresentation of at least one of a painting, sculpture, photograph,furniture, tapestry and rug.
 33. A non-transitory computer readablestorage medium storing one or more programs configured for execution byone or more computer processors, wherein the one or more processors arecommunicatively coupled to a display device configured to be controlledby the one or more programs, the one or more programs comprisinginstructions that cause the one or more processors to: display on thedisplay device a virtual reality scene corresponding to a physical sceneat which art can be purchased, wherein the virtual reality sceneexhibits a plurality of objects that are selectable by a user and thatcorrespond to digital representations of one or more pieces of the art,and wherein the virtual scene is built from a plurality of imagesrepresenting varied views of the physical scene and varied views of theplurality of objects.; enable the user to navigate within the virtualreality scene and observe the virtual reality scene from one or moreperspectives; enable the user to rotate at least one object within thevirtual reality scene about at least one axis; receive from the user aselection corresponding to at least one of the plurality of objectswithin the virtual reality scene and; display additional informationabout the piece of the art digitally represented by the object, whereinthe additional information includes at least one of a link to buy and alink to bid on the piece of the art digitally represented by the object.34. The medium of claim 33, wherein each image has a unique imageaddress.
 35. The medium of claim 33, wherein the additional informationincludes information related to the creator of the selected objectdigitally represented in the virtual reality scene.
 36. The medium ofclaim 35, wherein the additional information includes the price of theselected object digitally represented in the virtual reality scene. 37.The medium of claim 36 wherein the additional information includes thepresent bid amount for the selected object digitally represented in thevirtual reality scene.
 38. The medium of claim 37 wherein the additionalinformation includes digital representations of one or more objectscreated by the same creator of the selected object.
 39. The medium ofclaim 33, wherein the selectable object is indexed by an area that therepresentation of the selectable object occupies in the virtual realityscene.
 40. The medium of claim 33, wherein the user selects theselectable object by indicating the area that the selectable objectoccupies, using an input device.
 41. The medium of claim 33, wherein theuser selects the selectable object by activating an input mechanismindicative of the area that the representation of the selectable objectoccupies.
 42. The medium of claim 33, wherein the selectable objectcorresponds to a digital representation of at least one of a painting,sculpture, photograph, furniture, tapestry and rug.